Semiconductor device reducing power consumption in standby mode

a technology of semiconductor devices and power consumption, applied in power consumption reduction, pulse techniques, instruments, etc., can solve the problems of power consumption increase in transistors pb>2/, storage information may be lost, semiconductor devices cannot be restored to the original state, etc., and achieve the effect of reducing power consumption

US7436205B2Inactive Publication Date: 2008-10-14RENESAS ELECTRONICS CORP
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Patent Information

Authority / Receiving Office
US · United States
Patent Type
Patents(United States)
Current Assignee / Owner
Publication Date
2008-10-14
Estimated Expiration
Not applicable · inactive patent

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Abstract

A voltage supply control circuit is arranged between a true ground voltage and a pseudo ground line. In an active mode, first and second control signals are at the “H” and “L” levels, respectively. In response to this, a first switch is turned on so that a first node is electrically coupled to a power supply voltage, and attains the “H” level. Further, a second switch is turned on to couple electrically the ground voltage to a second node. In a standby mode, the first and second control signals are at the “L” and “H” levels, respectively. In response to this, a third switch is turned on to couple electrically the first and second nodes together. Since the power supply voltage was electrically coupled to the first node according to the turn-on of the first switch in the active mode, the path of the control signal including the first node to the switch has accumulated charged charges.
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Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0001] 1. Field of the Invention

[0002] The present invention relates to a semiconductor device. Particularly, the invention relates to a semiconductor device having a structure that interrupts electric connections of power and ground lines to logic circuits or the like in a standby mode, and is pertinent to a semiconductor device that can reduce power consumption in the standby mode.

[0003] 2. Description of the Background Art

[0004] In recent years, degrees of integration as well as performance of semiconductor devices have been developing, and application ranges thereof have been increasing. With these situations, it has been technically required to reduce power consumption of semiconductor devices and semiconductor chip bodies. More specifically, it is required to increase a battery operation time of an internal battery in a data information device that includes a telephone, an electronic notebook and a small personal computer in an integrated fashion. In inf...

Examples

first embodiment

[0063]Referring to FIG. 1, a semiconductor device 10 according to a first embodiment of the invention includes a CPU 50 controlling a whole circuit, a storage 15 having a memory for storing information, a controller 20 that is a peripheral circuit for producing a clock signal or a control signal, and a logic unit 100 for executing various arithmetic and logic operations.

[0064]In general, the semiconductor device is provided at its peripheral region with pads, and is supplied via the pads with, e.g., a power supply voltage, a ground voltage, external instruction signals and the like. In this example, FIG. 1 shows a power supply voltage pad PDV supplied with a power supply voltage Vcc, a ground voltage pad PDG supplied with a ground voltage GND and pads PD supplied with other voltages, external instruction signals and the like.

[0065]FIG. 1 shows, by way of example, a ground line GL for supplying the ground voltage for the circuits via ground voltage pad PDG. There is also arranged a p...

second embodiment

[0226]In the foregoing first embodiment, an example of the internal circuit included in semiconductor device 10 has been described on the manner of reducing the power consumption in the standby mode, using the voltage supply control circuit for logic circuit group L1 included in logic unit 100. In contrast to this, the second embodiment will be described in connection with a structure applied for reducing the power consumption of memory cells MC in a storage, which is an example of the internal circuit.

[0227]Referring to FIG. 22, a part of a storage 15 according to the second embodiment of the invention will now be described.

[0228]Referring to FIG. 22, storage 15 according to the second embodiment of the invention includes a memory array MA including memory cells MC arranged in rows and columns, a row decoder 62 selecting rows of memory cells MC, a column decoder 66 selecting a column of memory cells MC, a control circuit 63 such as row and column decoders for controlling circuit bl...

third embodiment

[0290]In the description described above, two transistors operate complementarily to each other to control the voltage level of pseudo ground line VB in response to control signal / Sleep, for example, as is done in voltage supply control circuit VBC in FIGS. 2A-2C. However, this is not restrictive, and such a manner may be employed that the transistors receive independent control signals for operations, respectively.

[0291]FIGS. 33A and 33B illustrate an MTCMOS circuit according to a third embodiment of the invention.

[0292]Referring to FIG. 33A, voltage supply control circuit VBC already described is replaced with voltage supply control circuit VBC#p. Voltage supply control circuit VBC#p includes three switches SW1-SW3.

[0293]Switch SW1 is arranged between node N0 and ground voltage GND, and receives a voltage signal from node N1. Switch SW2 is arranged between node N1 and power supply voltage Vcc, and receives a control signal Sleep2. Switch SW3 is arranged between nodes N1 and N0, a...